photo:Shruti Agarwal of SikkimNew Delhi, Sept 17: Models and designers from the Northeast region made their presence felt at the Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week that concluded here recently.Esther Jamir, a Naga model, feels proud to represent her state, and wishes that other models from the region also make a name in the glamour world."They (girls) should come out and try. They are not trying and once they will try, people will consider their looks as common Indian commercial look. Right now, people differentiate us. But once the northeast girls come up, they will take us as common Indian looking models," Jamir said.Shruti Agrawal, a model from Sikkim, who also made a mark on the ramp, said: "It has gone very well, and this fashion week has proved positive for me." A mix of North and East was visible in most of the designer wears at the fashion extravaganza.Nordon Wangdia, a designer from Sikkim, created clothes that were a mixture of tradition and modernity. He feels the time has come when the country recognises the talents of the fashion conscious Northeast.Wangdi said: "Everybody is coming out in different areas and different spheres of life, and it's a great thing. Be it music or any other field, I want that everybody should go for it. Nothing is impossible."The number of models and designers from the northeast trying to establish themselves in the fashion industry has gone up in the last few years. One of the best models from the Northeast is Monikangna Dutta from Assam, who recently shifted her base to Mumbai.
Profile of Shruti Agarwal:
24-year old Shruti Agarwal was all set to be a spin-doctor. So, she got a degree in communications and public relations in New Zealand, and took up a few modelling assignments on the side to rake in some pocket money.
But the taste of glamour was too sweet to resist and, on returning to India, she used her PR skills for an altogether different reason -- to get into modelling fulltime. Besides distributing her portfolio pictures clicked by photographer Atul Kasbekar for her stint at the Miss India contest (she was crowned Miss Pune), the model says she met the right people (choreographer Achhala at the gym, Marc Robinson at a party, etc).
Standing at 5 feet 8 inches tall, Shruti's personal style seems preppy -- a little innocent, a little sexy, a little elegant. To maintain her figure (she shares every Indian woman's weight woes), she tries eating her meals on time and in smaller quantities. She works out for an hour a day and, when the going gets hectic, refuses all fatty foods.
Her father hails from Madhya Pradesh and her mom from Sikkim, but Mumbai is now home -- she lives in a rented apartment by herself. Shruti works hard and parties harder but, once all work and play are done, the not-so-attractive side of single living sometimes rears its ugly head.
But the taste of glamour was too sweet to resist and, on returning to India, she used her PR skills for an altogether different reason -- to get into modelling fulltime. Besides distributing her portfolio pictures clicked by photographer Atul Kasbekar for her stint at the Miss India contest (she was crowned Miss Pune), the model says she met the right people (choreographer Achhala at the gym, Marc Robinson at a party, etc).
Standing at 5 feet 8 inches tall, Shruti's personal style seems preppy -- a little innocent, a little sexy, a little elegant. To maintain her figure (she shares every Indian woman's weight woes), she tries eating her meals on time and in smaller quantities. She works out for an hour a day and, when the going gets hectic, refuses all fatty foods.
Her father hails from Madhya Pradesh and her mom from Sikkim, but Mumbai is now home -- she lives in a rented apartment by herself. Shruti works hard and parties harder but, once all work and play are done, the not-so-attractive side of single living sometimes rears its ugly head.
